U.S. Soccer Wire: May 19, 2008

NewsMay 19, 2008

BRADLEY NAMES 33-MAN PLAYER POOL FOR UPCOMING MATCHES; U.S. MNT SELECTS HOME VENUES FOR POTENTIAL QUALIFIERS; U.S. WNT TO FACE BRAZIL IN TWO-GAME SERIES BEFORE OLYMPICS; U.S. U-23 MNT PREPARE TO KICK OFF TOULON TOURNAMENT

BRADLEY NAMES 33-MAN PLAYER POOL FOR UPCOMING MATCHES: U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Bob Bradley has named a 33-man player pool that will be used to select rosters for the upcoming trio of blockbuster friendlies against England, Spain and Argentina. The roster for the England match, which will include approximately 22 players, will be announced early this week. All three of the USA’s World Cup qualifying tune-up matches will be broadcast on the ESPN and Univision networks, and fans can follow each game live on ussoccer.com’s MatchTracker. The friendly schedule kicks off with a trip to famed Wembley Stadium for a May 28 clash with England that will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic at 3 p.m. ET and tape delay on Galavision at 7 p.m. ET/PT. More than 1,300 tickets were sold in the U.S. Supporters Section for the USA’s second-ever trip to London. The U.S. will then face fourth-ranked Spain on June 4 at the Estadio El Sardinero in Santander. The match will be shown live exclusively on espn360.com, and broadcast via tape delay on ESPN2 at 5:30 p.m. ET and Galavision at 7 p.m. ET/PT. The U.S. will head back across the Atlantic to face No. 1-ranked Argentina on June 8 at 7:30 p.m. ET in New Jersey. More than 46,000 tickets (buy tickets) have been sold for the USA’s final match at Giants Stadium, which will be Presented by Visa®. The USA’s final match before the start of the World Cup qualifying campaign will be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision.

MNT COULD PLAY QUALIFIERS IN ILLINOIS, COLORADO AND WASHINGTON, D.C.: The U.S. Soccer Federation has announced the three venues that would host home matches for the semifinal round of qualifying for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The U.S. must first advance past the second round, where they face a home-and-away series against Barbados. The U.S. will host the first leg on June 15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. (tickets). Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. The away leg will be played on June 22 at a site and time to be determined. Should the U.S. advance, they will play their first home qualifier of the four-team semifinal round group on Sept. 10 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Ill., against the winner of the Trinidad & Tobago-Bermuda series. Kickoff would be set for 7 p.m. CT, with the match broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. On Oct. 11, the U.S. would face either Cuba or Antigua & Barbuda at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. That match would begin at 4 p.m. ET and be broadcast live on ESPN Classic and Galavision. Dick’s Sporting Goods Park would host the USA’s final match of the semifinal phase, with the team taking on either Guatemala or St. Lucia on Nov. 19 at 8 p.m. MT live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Ticket information for all three potential semifinal round home matches will be available at a later date. Semifinal Round qualifying in the CONCACAF region will take place from August to November in 2008, with the teams divided into three groups of four teams each. Playing a six-game round robin format, the top two finishers from each group will advance to the final six-team group that will be played in 2009.

WNT TO FACE BRAZIL TWICE IN SEND-OFF MATCHES TO THE 2008 BEIJING OLYMPICS: The U.S. Women’s National Team will face Brazil in its final two matches before the 2008 Olympics, starting the two-game set on July 13 at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City, Colo. (2 p.m. MT live on ESPN), before traveling to San Diego, Calif., for a July 16 game at the University of San Diego’s Torero Stadium (7 p.m. PT live on Fox Soccer Channel). For the game in Colorado, tickets ranging in price levels from $18 to $55, plus special VIP On Field seats for $150, are now available at ussoccer.com, by phone at 1-866-461-6556, at all Dick’s Sporting Goods locations in Colorado, and at the Dick’s Sporting Goods Park ticket office (open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.). For the game in San Diego, tickets ranging in price levels from $22 to $85 are available starting Tuesday, May 20, at 10 a.m. PT online at ussoccer.com, by phone (619-220-8497 in San Diego; 714-740-2000 in Orange County; 213-480-3232 in L.A.), and through all San Diego area Ticketmaster ticket centers (including Macy’s, Wherehouse Music, FYE and Ritmo Latino). For both games, groups of 20 or more can obtain a discount order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (a special VIP package which includes a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with your name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits) are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com. Visa® is the preferred card of U.S. Soccer.

2008 U.S. WNT Upcoming Schedule

Date

Opponent

Venue

City

June 15

Australia^

Suwon Sports Center Stadium

Suwon, South Korea

June 17

Brazil^

Suwon Sports Center Stadium

Suwon, South Korea

June 19

Italy^

Suwon Sports Center Stadium

Suwon, South Korea

June 21

TBD^

Peace Queen Cup Championship

Suwon, South Korea

July 2

Norway

Fredrikstad Stadium

Fredrikstad, Norway

July 5

Sweden

Norvalla Stadium

Skelleftea, Sweden

July 13

Brazil

Dick's Sporting Goods Park

Commerce City, Colo.

July 16

Brazil

Torero Stadium

San Diego, Calif.

Aug. 6

Norway++

Olympic Sports Center Stadium

Qinhuangdao, China

Aug. 9

Japan++

Olympic Sports Center Stadium

Qinhuangdao, China

Aug. 12

New Zealand++

Olympic Sports Center Stadium

Shenyang, China

^ Peace Queen Cup * If necessary ++ 2008 Beijing Olympics

U.S. U-23 MNT PREPARES TO KICK OFF TOULON TOURNAMENT LIVE ON FSC: Peter Nowak and his 22-man roster have arrived in Toulon, France, and are preparing for their first match of Toulon International Tournament on Wednesday, May 21, against Turkey at 3:30 p.m. local time (9:30 a.m. ET). All 16 games of the tournament will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel, including the U.S. Group B match-ups against Ivory Coast on May 23 at 6:30 p.m. (12:30 p.m. ET), and Italy on May 25 at 6 p.m. (12 p.m. ET). The top two teams in each group will advance to the semifinals on May 27, and either the third-place match or final on May 29. Overall, the U.S. has made seven previous trips to the invitation-only event, with their most recent appearance dating back to 2001 when the team finished in fifth place. In 1989 the team finished in a best-ever third place, and in 1994, 1997 and 2001 received the Fair Play Award.

U.S. U-23 MNT Toulon Tournament Schedule

Date

Opponent

Kickoff (ET)

TV

May 21

Turkey

9:30 a.m.

Fox Soccer Channel (live)

May 23

Ivory Coast

12:30 p.m.

Fox Soccer Channel (live)

May 25

Italy

12 p.m.

Fox Soccer Channel (live)

TICKETS FOR U.S. MNT VS. BARBADOS ON SALE NOW: Tickets for the USA's first qualifying match for the 2010 FIFA World Cup are now on sale. The U.S. will host Barbados on Sunday, June 15 at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. Kickoff for the first leg of the Second Round series is set for 2 p.m. PT, and the match will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and Galavision. Tickets ranging in price levels from $19 to $66 are available through ussoccer.com, by phone (213-480-3232 in L.A.; 714-740-2000 in Orange County; 619-220-8497 in San Diego), and at all Ticketmaster ticket centers throughout Southern California (including Macy’s, Wherehouse Music, FYE and Ritmo Latino). Fans can also buy tickets at The Home Depot Center Box Office on Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Groups of 20 or more can obtain a group order form at ussoccer.com or call 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets (a special VIP package which includes a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with your name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits), are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

MORE THAN 48,000 TICKETS SOLD FOR MNT MATCH AGAINST ARGENTINA: Tickets for the U.S. Men’s National Team’s blockbuster match on June 8 vs. No. 1-ranked Argentina at Giants Stadium are now on sale to the general public. The match kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET and serves as the final tune up for the U.S. prior to the start of 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying on June 15 vs. Barbados. For the match, U.S. Soccer has divided the seating into U.S.A., Argentina, and mixed/neutral fan sections at each price level. Tickets from $35 to $195, plus sideline seating in the front two rows for $295 per ticket, are now on sale at ussoccer.com (win tickets), by phone at 201-507-8900 (New Jersey) or 212-307-7171 (New York City), at all area Ticketmaster ticket centers (including Macy’s and FYE stores), and at the IZOD Center ticket office (open Monday-Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.). Groups of 30 or more can obtain an order form by visiting ussoccer.com or by calling 312-528-1290. Ultimate Fan Tickets, special VIP packages which include a premium ticket, a custom made official U.S. national team jersey with your name and number, VIP access to the field before and after the game, and other unique benefits, are also available exclusively through ussoccer.com.

– YOUTH NATIONAL TEAMS UPDATE –

U.S. U-23 WNT WILL TRAVEL TO GERMANY FOR CAMP AND MATCHES: The U.S. U-23 Women's National Team traveled to Germany on Friday, May 16, for several matches against the Germany U-23 Women’s National Team and a women’s Bundesliga club team. The U-23s will play a friendly in Crailsheim against TSV Crailsheim on May 20, followed by the clash with the German U-23s on May 22 in Wangen, and will finish with another as yet confirmed scrimmage on May 24. U.S. head coach Bill Irwin traveled with 18 players to Germany for the trip as he continues to prepare the squad for the 2008 Nordic Cup to be held from July 15-21 in Sweden.

U.S. UNDER-20 WOMEN HEAD TO TRAINING CAMP IN SOUTH CAROLINA: U.S. Under-20 Women’s National Team head coach Tony DiCicco will hold a two-week training camp in Clemson, S.C., from May 12-27 as he runs the team through some final preparations before CONCACAF Qualifying in June. DiCicco will bring 26 players to training camp where the team will play a match on May 22 against the USL W-League Atlanta Silverbacks and several other scrimmages, including another possible game against a W-League side. After an evaluation camp in April that featured 34 players, DiCicco has paired down the pool and is now focusing on the qualifying tournament that will take place from June 17-28 in Puebla, Mexico. At the tournament, the U.S. U-20 WNT will compete for one of three CONCACAF berths at the 2008 FIFA U-20 Women's World Cup in Chile. Along with the U.S. and hosts Mexico, Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Jamaica, Nicaragua and Trinidad & Tobago will participate in the tournament. The draw to determine the two groups will take place on May 6 at the CONCACAF General Secretariat in New York City. The 2008 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup will feature 16 teams. Eleven countries have qualified thus far for Chile:

U.S. UNDER-18 MNT SET TO TRAVEL TO LISBON INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT: The U.S. Under-18 Men’s National Team traveled to the Lisbon International Tournament, where the U.S. will take on Norway on May 21, Portugal on May 22 and Sweden on May 24. Head coach Bob Jenkins and his 18-player roster traveled to Lisbon on Friday, May 16. The trip to Portugal is the first international training camp of 2008 for the U-18 MNT and includes 11 players who participated in the team’s most recent domestic camp in New Jersey. Of the 18 players, 14 are part of U.S. Soccer Development Academy clubs, including three players from Pateadores – Dersu Abolfathi, Eder Arreola and Steve Birnbaum – and two from Miami FC Kendall in Francklin Blaise and Andrew Quintana.

U.S. SOCCER DEVELOPMENT ACADEMY SHOWCASE KICKS OFF FRIDAY: The 2008 U.S. Soccer Development Academy Spring Showcase kicks off on Friday, May 23, in Rockford, Ill. All 126 teams from the 63 clubs will participate in the Showcase, for a total of 188 games during the course of the event, which ends May 26. Along with being the first time that all of the Academy teams participate at the same event, the Spring Showcase will also feature Nike SPARQ testing for each Development Academy athlete. More than 3,000 players are part of the Development Academy, which includes clubs with teams in each of the two Academy age groups: Under-15/16 and U-17/18. The clubs are divided into eight conferences (based on geographic proximity), with each team playing 30 matches during the eight-month season. The winner of each conference will participate in the Academy Finals Week at The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif., in July. More information, including a complete schedule of matches, is available at ussoccer.com.

U.S. SOCCER FANS COULD WIN A TRIP TO THE U.S. MNT VS. ARGENTINA MATCH: U.S. Soccer fans could win the Ultimate VIP Fan Experience to the U.S. Men's National Team match against Argentina on June 8, 2008, at Giants Stadium. To enter, simply text "SOCCER" TO 762237 (SOCCER). One lucky winner that texts the word “SOCCER” to 762237 will win a trip for two to Giants Stadium to see Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey and the rest of the Men’s National Team take on the No. 1 ranked team in the world, Argentina. Click here for more information.

QUALIFYING FORMAT UNVEILED FOR 2008-09 CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: The qualifying format for the inaugural 2008-09 CONCACAF Champions League was announced Wednesday, May 14, by CONCACAF. The CONCACAF Champions League will feature 24 teams representing each CONCACAF region. Participating in the league will be four teams from Mexico and the U.S., two teams each from Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Panama and one team each from Canada, Belize and Nicaragua, along with three teams from the Caribbean. Qualifying for the CONCACAF Champions League will be completed by mid-July, 2008, with the Preliminary Round beginning in August. Eight teams will be seeded directly to the Group Stage of the CONCACAF Champions League, with the 16 remaining squads participating in the preliminary round. More information, including a complete calendar, is available at concacaf.com.

U.S. REFEREES TO PARTICIPATE AT THE OLYMPIC GAMES: Several U.S. Soccer referees have been selected to officiate at the 2008 Olympic Games in China. On the men's side, Jair Marrufo, along with assistant referees George Gansner and Kermit Quisenberry, will officiate in the tournament. Maruffo is one of U.S Soccer's full-time referees. On the women's side, the U.S. will be represented by Kari Seitz and assistant referees Marlene Duffy and Veronica Perez. For Seitz, this is her second trip to an Olympic Games after having participated as a referee at the 2004 Athens Olympics. It is the first major international tournament for Duffy and Perez, who are in their first year on the FIFA International Panel of Referees.

*** “CENTER CIRCLE” SPOTLIGHT ***

PEAK PERFORMER: Edson Buddle broke his 2008 goalscoring drought in spectacular fashion, netting a hat trick in the Los Angeles Galaxy's 5-1 demolition of FC Dallas on Sunday. The 27-year-old proved a menace all night, highlighted by his mazy dribbling run through four defenders before depositing the game-winning goal in the 31st minute. In the buildup to his professional career, Buddle had extensive experience on the youth international scene, having played at the U-18, U-20 and U-23 levels, including a trip to the 2001 FIFA World Youth Championships where he scored once in the 4-1 win against Chile. The New Rochelle, N.Y., native also has one full national team cap to his credit.

MARQUEE MATCHUP: U.S. U-23 MNT head coach Peter Nowak is taking a close look at potential Olympians as he and a 22-player roster participate at the Toulon International Tournament. The U.S. opens group play against Turkey at 9:30 a.m. ET on Wednesday, May 21, followed by Ivory Coast at 12:30 p.m. ET on Friday, May 23, and finishing up against Italy at 12 p.m. ET on Sunday, May 25. All of the U.S. group matches will be broadcast live on Fox Soccer Channel.

QUOTABLE: "The whole culture is they appreciate the guy who passes the ball to the guy who gets the assist and passes to the guy who scores. They appreciate the work that went into it. Even the guy who is not getting the stat is important in the whole function of the team and the goal that is being made. That, to me, is fundamental." -- New York Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni, in an article in the New York Times, speaks about the culture of soccer as it relates to basketball.